Today may go down in history as the day of the “Great American Boycott of 2006.”

Today, Latinos across the country may boycott everything American in response to the Illegal Immigration Act.

Those boycotting will not go to work, shop or partake in anything that supports or benefits the United States, as they attempt to pressure Congress to legalize millions of illegal immigrants.

The Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 was passed Dec. 16, 2005. The act calls for the deportation of all illegal immigrants.

“I got a Facebook message that basically told me not to go to class, not to go to work, not to do anything,” said Jason Mallon, a freshman physical education major.

Freshman marketing major Liz Barocio said she also heard about not going to class or work, and basically it will be a “family day.”

“In Mexico, they won’t be buying any American products either,” Barocio said. “I’m just curious to see how far it actually goes. “

There is no telling what may actually happen today, but the projected impact could be large.

“In many ways, the agricultural economy of the nation depends, particularly for labor-intensive crops, on migratory or temporary workers, many of whom are undocumented,” said Michael Gonzales, Director of the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies. “And the service industry, such as motels, hotels, restaurants, also employs numerous undocumented persons.”

Gonzales said many employers hire illegal immigrants knowingly, and keep them because they can be paid less.

“Employers, as a rule, know they are hiring undocumented workers, and they employ them because they can pay them lower wages without benefits,” he said.

Gonzales feels the boycott will have an enormous impact not only on the country, but on DeKalb as well.

“My impression is that there are more immigrants in this region than one might assume, including in Rochelle and Rockford,” he said. “There is considerable solidarity among Latinos, especially young people, in support of immigration reform. This includes those Latinos who are U.S. citizens.”

Many students are involved and educated on the current issues, as well.

“DeKalb is affected by undocumented workers because there is a huge population of undocumented workers in factories,” said freshman sociology major and student organizer Ulysses Diaz. “Also, the people who want to boycott are in fear of losing their jobs. There have been rumored immigration searches around DeKalb and that has frightened the community that would be involved in the boycott.”

Maria Peña-Graham, president of Conexión Comunidad, a Latino resource center in DeKalb, said many people from DeKalb are going to Chicago and other areas to participate in marches and rallies.

“With it being in the media this much, they’ve probably informed their bosses,” Peña-Graham said. “At this point, their bosses are saying, ‘What can we do?'”

A rally and march will take place at 2 p.m. today in the King Memorial Commons.